SOOOOO sorry this took so long. Work and school are KILLING me. Exams are next week and I am studying like a mofo. Good news though. I'm pulling an A in microeconomics. So I promise, the wait has been worth it!
This story has proven to be quite difficult to write, Marcus is a difficult nut to crack to say the least.
No editor, rip away.
*****
**5 YEARS AGO**
"All right you guys the countdown begins in less than one minute and we begin to welcome in the new year!" The host screamed standing up on the table.
The room was filled with festivity.
Balloons and streamers were everywhere. People were stirring, trying to quickly find someone to kiss at midnight.
Everyone except for Marcus.
He leaned against the back wall cradling a warm beer in a red solo cup.
Marcus had just been dumped by his girlfriend the day prior and he really wasn't in a partying mood.
He tried. He promised his friends he would try but he just didn't want to be here.
Marcus' his friends were trying to help but that help had stopped once they had gotten to the party and had each found eye-candy to attach themselves to.
He couldn't blame them, he'd of done the same thing.
Marcus watched as the hosted back on the table with her date and started to yell the New Year's countdown.
"OK everybody!" She was clearly drunk, "in 10...9...8..."
He just felt even worse as he saw all the couples partnering up to welcome in the new year.
He kept looking around until he saw them. While his eyes were scamming everyone else, these eyes were looking directly at him.
He was cute but his whole demeanor was bumming her out.
She thought about backing out but she'd come too far.
A was a dare and she'd see this one through.
All she had to do was kiss a complete stranger at midnight and she had... less than five seconds to do it!
She stopped thinking and marched forward.
Marcus looked ahead at the girl in the gold sparkly mask and she stalked towards him like she'd found her prey.
Clearly she was approaching him.
She made her way to him, closer than he expected.
"3!", He heard in the background at the strange girl left her hands to either side of his face.
"2!", She pulled her self up on her tippy toes and his face down to meet hers.
"1!", Their lips met.
Happy new year! The rest of the room screamed but it fell on deaf ears.
The two stranger sure to kiss that was reserved for couples that had known each other for years.
Neither let go, on the contrary, Marcus pulled tighter and his mystery girl moaned into him.
He had no idea who this girl was but she was absolute magic.
He didn't want to stop; it didn't matter that he didn't even know her name.
The strange girl pulled her face away slowly, looked into his bright blue eyes and smiled-
"Hi." Was all she said.
"Hi." Marcus returned, unsure of what was supposed to happen now.
"What's your name?"
"Marcus," he said as he thumbed the edge of the mask that kept her face hidden, tempted to reveal her.
"And you are?"
She smiled.
"Hi Marcus, I'm Lila."
**PRESENT DAY**
Just laying in bed thinking of that moment.
The first time they'd met, the first time they'd kissed.
He looked over at the clock on his bedside table.
11:59.
Five years. It would be five years since the moment they first laid eyes on each other.
Marcus was pulled out of his thoughts when the body next to him stirred beneath the sheets.
He stilled, praying she wouldn't wake up, or if she did she would go home. He had been horny earlier when he hit the bars with his friends; horny and itching to get drunk.
Now that he'd satisfied both needs all he wanted was to be alone.
God what was her name?
Candy? Candice? Oh whatever, as if it even matters.
He looked back at the clock.
12:00.
Midnight.
I miss you Lila.
** ** ** ** **
4 WEEKS LATER
Marcus woke up with a pounding headache.
Looking to his right he noticed the empty sheets.
He sighed a sound of relief at getting to avoid any awkward exchanges. He sat up and rubbed his eyes trying to finish waking himself up.
Marcus quietly berating himself for engaging in yet another one-night stand. He didn't even remember her name.
Right then the bathroom door opened and Marcus jumped in surprise.
Shit.
Long dirty blonde hair shook down over a tall skinny frame, covering the mystery guests face.
Please don't be...
The blonde hair flipped back revealing an overly tanned face beaming right at him.
Candice.
Marcus groaned inwardly.
"Good morning tiger."
Marcus gave her a tight smile but said nothing.
"Got any plans today?" She said looking at him with big doe brown eyes.
Clearly she was hoping he was going to make her part of any plans he had.
But Marcus had no such intention.
Marcus turned his body, placing his feet firmly on his wood floors.
The sheet was the only thing covering his nudity and he didn't want her getting any ideas.
"Umm...probably just some housework. Nothing too exciting. You?" He asked as he rummaged his hand around the floor looking for his boxers.
She looked slightly disappointed at his answer.
There they are.
He snatched up his underwear from under the bed and moved to put them on.
"Me neither. Just figured I'd see if anything popped up."
Kill me.
"Gotcha." Marcus responded as he stood and stretched. "Well I'm going to get my day started but it was fun."
"Oh, "Candice said glumly, "Ok, well. Let me know if you'd be up to hang out later. I could even stay and help you clean or something."
"Uh...no thanks," Marcus was moving towards the bathroom and had barely made eye contact as he skimmed by. "Listen I'm gonna take a shower but feel free to grab some toast or something on your way out."
With that he closed the bathroom door behind him and let out a breath of relief. He knew he was being an asshole about it, especially since he was probably the one to text her to come over. Honestly he didn't remember how it had gone down, he'd been too shit faced to really know what he'd been doing.
It had become a bad habit. Getting home from work, drinking til the room was a blur, and then texting the most convenient girl at the time.
What the hell is wrong with me?
He asked himself.
He'd never been like this before.
Marcus hopped in the shower and quickly got himself ready for the day. He had to stop by the firehouse to put in a few hours for a friend and then he'd get to start his one-week vacation.
If he could even call it that, he'd just hang around the house and watch tv.
Whatever. Time off was time off, especially since he'd been working himself to the brink of death. He needed a break.
Marcus grabbed something to eat, fed the dog and headed out.
** ** ** ** **
Marcus arrived home late that evening utterly exhausted. He walked into his kitchen from the outside and groaned at the sight.
He been living in a pigsty and he'd been too busy with work to notice. Well work and other extracurricular activities that involve mostly alcohol.
Tomorrow is Saturday and the first day of his vacation. Surely he wouldn't want to do any cleaning up on his first day off.
Reluctantly he began picking up around the kitchen. He tossed empty beer bottles in the garbage, dirty plates in the sink, sifted through mail he hadn't bothered to look at before.
He sprayed the counters and wipe them down.
Marcus honestly hadn't realized how filthy the place had become.
When he was done with that he turned around to survey would also need a cleaning.
The kitchen table.
It was worse than the counters had been.
He began pulling off trash he tossed on the table and all other bits of crap.
More dishes, more beer bottles, more mail.
His mother would be appalled he thought smirking to himself.
Marcus had just finished pushing another pile of junk mail into the trash when he turned back to the table.
There was nothing else.
Nothing else except for a box.
For a moment he had actually forgotten.
Then it hit him again.
The damned box.
He wondered if that's why he began dumping crap over the table in the first place. He'd been creating a sort of fort to shield from his sight.
